Tuesday, August 26, 2008

I have already given an account of how Das Ganu came into Baba's fold and composed beautiful composition which were sung at those time and even now in Shirdi Sai Mandir.I have already posted 10 Unique updesh from Das Ganu as spoken by Sai Baba and here is little more detail.Of the two persons, whom Shri Baba deliberately sought early in His residence at Shirdi were Das Ganu ; the other being Nana Saheb. These two gentlemen were responsible for making 'Baba' a household name in Western Maharashtra, particularly in Bombay City and Thana, Kolaba and Ratnagiri districts.

The books Das Ganu wrote about Sai Baba are:-Santakathamrita -First book. This was written bit by bit when Das Ganu was in service i.e., before 1903 both the portions about Baba and about others. But it was printed in 1903. Baba blessed the effort. None of the books was read to Baba. Nor was Baba asked beforehand to give the information for writing the books. What he spoke of his own accord was picked up. Baba had talked of His "Selu" antecedents and Das Ganu made inquiries at Selu about Baba's antecedents. Baba said about each book when placed in His hand. That is "Its alright". Das Ganu do not know whether Baba knew how to write, read or even to sign His name but these books were shown to Him .

Next came Bhakti Lilamrita.This was published in Baba's life time - 1906.Lastly came the Bhakti Saramrita. The two chapters viz: 52-53 therein relating to Baba were placed in his hands and he said "alright". But other chapters were composed later from time to time mostly after 1918.

In 1925 this book was printed as a whole. The account given in it (in chapter 28) about Baba's antecedents at Selu is based partly on Baba's statements and partly on what the villagers of Selu told Das Ganu. The only thing Baba said of Selu and the Selu period was that he came from Selu. So Das Ganu started of while he was in service and went to Selu to make enquiries. He could not specify any villager as having told him anything in particular. His inquiry was 35 years back. Though villagers said that there was an old Saint, that a young Fakir boy was being trained by him, that some got vexed with the Saint and threw stones at him and killed him and that the boy escaped and that all this took place 100 years previously.

Same thing Sai Baba told Das Ganu, in the presence of Chandorkar, that the brick he used as a pillow at Shirdi and which is still retained as a relic of Baba at Shirdi was given by his Guru to him, that his Guru was "Venkusa". The version about Baba's telling Chandorkar is Das Ganu's own, as He wished to avoid dragging his own name into his own work and figuring in it too prominently.

When Das Ganu first went with Nana G.Chandorkar to see Sai Baba, that was out of a desire to ingratiate himself with Nana and with no particular desire to see Sai Baba or esteem for him. Das Ganu had no spiritual or other temporal desire or object in seeing Baba. One year later, Ganu chanced to see Vaman Sashi Islarnpurkar, an old Brahmin of Islampur near Osmanabad (N.S) a graduate (of the Madras University) and a married man. Ganu had to attend upon him at Saigonda in obedience of his superior's orders. Finding him to be highly devout and spiritually advanced and believing that a Guru was necessary to obtain Moksha, Ganu asked him to give him Upadesh as and he agreed. He gave Ganu Siva Mantra Upadesh as desired , for then Ganu was an out and out Shivbhakta. He told him to go on with his Mantra,Ganu then asked him as he was visiting Sai, whether that was harmful. He said that no harm could arise if one was firm in his faith, whatever Saints he visited.

Ganu asked him what sort of person Sai Baba was and he replied that he had himself visited Shirdi and stayed with Baba for three days, that Baba was a great Saint and Ramabhaktas, whom none had yet properly understood and that people would get to know and appreciate him later on. With this Ganu had more regard for Baba and he went to him with more faith. That his how Ganu came more closer to Baba.

Two years after Ganu's Mantropadesh, he received a letter from his Guru he should proceed to Bhusaval to meet him. There he told Ganu that he was proceeding to Kasi where he would have his final Samadhi six months later, i.e., on the following Jyeshta Vadya Ekadashi. His object in sending for Ganu was he should perform his funeral ritesGanu when came home found that the Guru had sent him 500 rupees notes by insured post intended for the celebration of the funerals etc., and a letter containing his last Will and Testament. On the Ekadashi day in ques­tion he got a wire from Kasi mentioning Guru's death on that day. From that date Ganu was performing Guru's anniversary on that Tithi .And he told Sai Baba of it and He approved.

On one occasion Das Ganu was moved to tears by a miracle which Shri Baba worked on him. On one of his several pilgrimages to Shirdi, Das Ganu sought Baba's permission to go to Prayag for a holy dip in the Ganga waters, at their confluence with Jamna and Saraswati at Prayag. The time when he intended to go there was very auspicious; but Shri Baba would not give the permission. Shri Baba told him that such a long and costly journey was unnecessary, as Prayag was where he stood if only he had firm faith in Shri Baba. On this assurance from Shri Baba, Das Ganu instantly prostrated himself on Shri Baba's feet and lo and behold, a trickle of water began to drip from Shri Baba's toes !

Overwhelmed by this graceful miracle, Das Ganu, there and then, spontaneously, composed a song to immortalise this experience. This song shows the high degree of honour and devotion that Shri Das Ganu had for Shri Baba.An English rendering of this Marathi song is given below .This is told in Chapter 4 of Shri Sai Satcharita written .

Song

1. "O King of Sadgurus, Your prowess and Leelas are inscrutable. You are the mercy boat by which the Jada Jeevas would cross the ocean of samsar.

2. You became for me Lord Krishna and took me to Prayag to bathe me in the Ganga-Jamuna waters dripping from Your two toes.

3. You Yourself have become Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh and stride the wide earth.

4. Your lips utter deep wisdom like Brahman personified and at times ascending Tamo Guna, You assume the fierce aspect of Rudra.

5. Sometimes You play childish pranks like Shri Krishna and converting the devotees' minds into pools of water, sport in them like the swan.

6. If one were to take You to be a Yavana (i.e., non-Hindu), You delight in sandal-paste; if one were to regard You to be a Hindu, you always reside in a Masjid.

7. If one were to take You to be a wealthy person, You beg Your livelihood. If You were to be taken as a mere Fakir, You shame Kubera (Croesus) by Your liberal gifts.

8. If Your abode is taken for a Masjid, a Fire burns there perpetually in a Dhuni from which You give Udi (holy ash) to all and sundry.

9. From early morning Your humble devotees worship You and at mid-day they perform Your Aarati.

10. On all Your four sides, Your devotees gather like multitudes of insentient things and wave the chowries and chamaras to keep You cool and comforted.

11. There is then a din of the sounds of horns, sanais and other musical instruments and the gong sounds the loudest and orderlies pace to and fro yelling out to keep order.

12. When the Aarati is being performed, You look like Vishnu sitting on His shining throne. In the evening, sitting near the Dhuni, You burn your worldly likes and desires.

13. Such Leelas of the three Gods You show every day and thus project to us the image of Baba Sai.

14. Though a witness to such Leelas, my mind restlessly wanders all around. Now, I pray, You please still and steady it.

15. I am the meanest of the mean sinners and prostrate at Your feet. Now, Guru Raj, relieve Ganu Das of the triad of afflictions, adhyatmic, adhidaivic and adhibhautic to which he is heir."

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